After remaining neutral for almost 200 years, which one of the following countries officially joined NATO in March 2024?

Current Affairs ·Previously asked in BPSC CCE 2024

View the full solved paper: GS 2024 (Series G)

Question

After remaining neutral for almost 200 years, which one of the following countries officially joined NATO in March 2024?

  1. A. Sweden (Correct answer)
  2. B. North Macedonia
  3. C. Iceland
  4. D. Finland

Correct Answer

Option A — Sweden

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Sweden.

Key Points

  • Sweden officially joined NATO in March 2024, becoming its 32nd member, ending roughly 200 years of military non-alignment/neutrality that it had maintained since the Napoleonic era.
  • Sweden, along with Finland, applied to join the alliance after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 fundamentally changed European security.
  • Finland had already joined in April 2023, and Sweden's accession was completed once the last objections (from Turkey and Hungary) were cleared.

Additional Information

  • North Macedonia joined NATO back in 2020 and Iceland is a founding member from 1949 — so the country that shed 200 years of neutrality to join in March 2024 was Sweden, option (A).